


A Simple Question

by NerdyNonbinary



Category: Hourou Musuko | Wandering Son
Genre: Gen, Misgendering, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Takatsuki, Not malicious though, Supportive students, Trans Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-07
Updated: 2017-10-07
Packaged: 2019-01-10 01:13:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12288111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdyNonbinary/pseuds/NerdyNonbinary
Summary: Ikeda has always been able get a handle on people in the blink of an eye. So what's different about his new homeroom teacher, if he can't even tell their gender?





	A Simple Question

**Author's Note:**

> References to my fic To Find a Voice, although it can be read without it.

Shou Ikeda had always been a people person. He was known for being able to make friends with anyone, to integrate even the shyest kids into the group, and read people at the drop of a hat.

So when he walked into class on the first day of 7th grade and couldn’t tell his homeroom teacher’s gender, he thought he was going insane.

“Do you have any idea, Machida? I can’t get a good read on Takatsuki, everything’s a mixed signal.” Ikeda asked as his friends surrounded him during lunch, already full of gossip halfway through the first day.

“I think he’s a guy, I mean, he did use boku, and his chest's too flat to be a girl's”

Sasaki piped up. “Yeah, but Takatsuki’s got like, zero facial hair. Not even stubble. Plus, some girls have really small chests, so that doesn't rule out anything.”

Ikeda scratched his head at the conflicting suggestions. “That’s all true, but I’ve heard kids call Takatsuki a boy and a girl, definitely where they’d hear it, and they didn’t say anything.”

The three kids pondered for a moment, determined to solve the elusive mystery sitting right in front of them, when a quiet voice called from the back of the group, “I think I might know…”

Ikeda looked for the source of the muttering, a small, shy boy with big glasses and long hair that seemed to hide him from the world. A new kid, Nakatani. Ikeda invited him to join the group. “So, you know what Takatsuki is?”

All eyes turned to him, and he seemed to shrink, trying to hide himself from all the unwanted attention. “I’m not sure, but.. Maybe Takatsuki’s transgender?”

“No way,” Machida interjected. “Then she’d be wearing a dress and a wig, right? Aren’t transgender people always trying be super feminine?”

“Not always, but that's not what I meant. I mean the other way. Like he was raised as a girl, but is really a boy.” Nakatani seemed to grow more confident, suddenly the resident expert on a topic no one else knew about.

“You can be that?!” Sasaki exclaimed, her braids bouncing behind her. “I didn’t know it could go both ways.”

“Why wouldn’t it?” Ikeda said. “I mean, I never thought about it either, but I guess it makes sense.”

“But,” Nakatani said, “We still don’t know for sure. We can’t unless we ask Takatsuki directly.”

“How do we do that without sounding like a bunch of jerks?” Machida asked. “We can’t just interrupt class and ask “Yo teach, are you a dude or a chick?”

Ikeda laughed, Machida doing what he did best and lightening the mood. “Well, that’s one way we wouldn’t do it, first of all. But I still don’t know how.”

Sasaki gasped, her sudden realization loud for all to hear. “I know! I saw this on some news show once, that model, Anna Suehiro? A few months ago, she was talking about her girlfriend, who’s transgender, and she said something about asking pronouns. Maybe we can do that.”

“That’s a good idea,” Ikeda said, “But I guess we’ll have to wait ‘til tomorrow, unless Takatsuki also teaches one of our classes.”

In a stroke of luck, their homeroom teacher entered the room as lunch ended, announcing they were also the class’s English teacher. This ended their impatience, but left the four of them wildly unprepared to ask the suddenly daunting question so soon. They bided their time as Takatsuki explained the class and gave a baseline exam, but as the day came to a close, they glanced at each other, silently asking who would take up the task. In the end, all eyes landed on Ikeda, expecting his charisma to carry him through. And it looked like he didn’t have a choice anymore.

“So, that’s what our class will be like. Any questions?” Takatsuki scanned the room, eyes landed on a student in the third row who slowly raised his hand. “Yes, Ikeda, right?”  
Ikeda stood, his palms clammy with nervousness as he glanced at his friends one more time before answering. “I was wondering… well, my friends and I were wondering… I guess, I mean we’ve all been wondering… what pronouns do you use?”

The class stared at Ikeda, astounded at his audacity, then at their teacher for the look of pure joy on their face. And were those… tears in their eyes?

“This is the first time a student has asked that question properly. Every other student has just asked “Are you a boy or a girl?” or something of that sort.” Ikeda was almost unnerved by the happiness radiating out of his teacher, expecting a more indignant response. “I use they and them pronouns, because I am nonbinary, meaning I am not a girl or a boy.” They paused, letting the class take it in, but their reactions were surprisingly calm. No disgusted faces or poorly hidden whispers and glares. “I’m sure that is a new concept to many of you, so I am happy to answer questions, but remember that we are here to learn English, so google is also a good resource. I hope you don’t mind me asking, Ikeda, but how did you know to ask that way? So few of my students in the past had even heard of the word transgender, let alone asking about pronouns. I’m just a little taken aback.”

“Actually, Sasaki told me what to say.” The class’s heads all pivoted towards Sasaki, who bolted up in embarrassment. “This might sound a little weird, but I heard it on a TV show? Ms. Yamamoto’s. After Anna Suehiro, the model, she came out on her show, she was on it again with her girlfriend. She said something about asking people’s pronouns. I can’t remember her girlfriend’s name, though. Something with Ma…”

“Masami,” Takatsuki finished. “Masami Nitori.”

“Wow, you sure know your celebrities, huh?” Sasaki blurted out, and the class laughed. Takatsuki gave a chuckle at the truth in those words, much more than Sasaki had meant, they were sure. They’d tell them about their childhood friendship, their modeling career and how Anna helped them pursue what they really wanted to do, but not today. They’d explain it in English later in the year, help them practice. They were thankful for the class they had, respectful and calm and fun, with no need to walk on eggshells, at least until parent-teacher conferences. But that was an issue for another day. For now, they couldn’t wait to hear their reactions when they found out they knew a famous model. But they’d had enough excitement for today, so all they said was,

“You have no idea.”


End file.
